Pastor’s Corner – February 13, 2025
Dear Beloved,
How is your wintering going, my friends? Are you a fan of winter – someone who loves bundling up and playing in the snow. To be honest, winter isn’t my favorite. Yet with each passing year as I grow older, each moment becomes more precious, so each year I have tried to embrace winter a little more. I must admit, I struggled a bit when a huge snowstorm came before we even finished the first week of January, but the idea of rejoicing has always helped me through it – there is always something to rejoice about. And in this winter season, I am extra grateful to be on a journey of gratitude, reflection, and prayer with you which was inspired by one of our Advent sermon texts -Philippians 4:4-7 - 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
For me, one of the gifts of winter in our geographical region is the darkness – the beautiful darkness – perhaps a special invitation from the Creator of dark and light to move more mindfully, to wonder and ponder more deeply, to be amazed by the hush of a gorgeous black sky and tiny sparkling stars, to follow a rhythm of a more sleep, to dream about what God is birthing or regenerating in us, to cuddle under a warm blanket, to share a simmering cup of tea or a bowl of soup with a neighbor, to be attentive to God’s whispers….. How about you? What are you grateful for this winter?
I won’t pretend that I’m not ecstatic when warmer weather comes again, but for now I’m going to try to rejoice in the present – in the transforming grace of the Creator who is with us in every season – in the opportunity to reach out to one another when winter seems too long – in the gift of the Holy Spirit who journeys with us and connects us one to another.
With prayers and the songs of night skies,
Sarah
